KIP-K: Many Recipients Are Not on Target

Education is a right for all humans and an important thing that deserves to be continuously considered and developed. However, it is not uncommon for people in small villages or even big cities to drop out of school due to economic limitations. according to data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) based on the National Economic Survey (Susenas) in 2021, 76% of families admitted that their children dropped out of school for economic reasons. Most (67.0%) could not afford school fees, while the rest (8.7%) had to earn a living. Education is important because it concerns the future of the nation. If Indonesians have a proper education, the young generation who will become future leaders will always be worthy and able to lead the citizens and bring Indonesia to become a more developed country. The government provides tuition assistance channeled to underprivileged people to finance their education needs to further levels called KIP-K. However, are the use and recipients of KIP-K effective and right on target?

The Ministry of Education and Culture (kemdikbud) says that KIP-K is tuition assistance for graduates of Senior High School (SMA) or equivalent who have good academic potential but have economic limitations. the KIP-K program is different from scholarships which focus on providing rewards and support in the form of funds for those who have potential and achievement. This has been explained in article 76 of Law No. 12/2012 on higher education.

This program helps prospective students who are willing to continue their education but are hindered by the cost of educational needs. according to kompas.com, stated that the recipients of the Indonesia Smart Card (KIP) Lecture assistance in 2024 amounted to 985,577 people. quoted from the official Instagram account of the Ministry of Education and Culture of the Republic of Indonesia, stated that the number of KIP Lecture recipients in 2023 amounted to 913,636 people. then if added up, the number of KIP Lecture recipients in 2024 increased by 71,941 people. With the increase in Kip-K recipients, it means that the number of Indonesians who are less able to finance their educational needs is also increasing.

KIP-K is a program provided by the state to help students who are underprivileged and have economic limitations. However, it is not uncommon to find that many students who have a luxurious and well-off lifestyle are KIP-K recipients. This can be called the wrong target of KIP-K recipients. Recently, there was a case quoted from BBC News Indonesia, regarding the recipient of the mistargeted KIP Lecture after one of the X (Twitter) accounts @undipmenfess expressed his complaints to one of the students who received KIP-K assistance but he had a luxurious and well-off lifestyle.

The misdirected provision of KIP-K can cause harm to people who need help. this can happen because the registration process and selection process are not effective and optimal. Because the process is not optimal, prospective students can easily manipulate data and use false data that does not match the actual situation.

Quoted from BBC News Indonesia stated that the National Coordinator of the Indonesian Education Monitoring Network (JPPI) Ubaid Matraji said that the provision of KIP Lectures that were not on target was caused by a closed, non-transparent and unaccountable aid management process, from planning to determination. so that people who should get help do not get it, and vice versa.
Quoted from the web tempo.co states that the head of the education financing service center of the Ministry of Education and Culture research and technology (kemdikbudristek), Abdul Kahar gave a warning to universities to conduct checks on all KIP-K recipient students.

"Don't just look at the documents uploaded by students, but must really verify and if possible, the affordable ones are visited to find out the condition of their families," Abdul said when contacted, Friday night, May 3, 2024.

So that cases of misdirected KIP Lecture assistance do not recur and cause harm to many people, especially for prospective recipients who deserve it. then, the campus or government must pay more attention in the registration and selection process. Especially the data provided must be relevant and appropriate so that there is no data falsification.